Portable refrigerator



2 Sheet s-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR M. C. PETERSON PORTABLE REFRIGERATOR I I I I I l I! 1! I 1 Filed Oct. 15,1939,

l L I 2 B" Nov. 11, 1941.

ATTORN EYS Nov. 11, 1941. Q PETERSON I 2,262,405

' PORTABLE REFRIGERATOR Filed Oct. 13, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i ight:

INVENTOR Mary 6. :pewvgon Patented Nov. 11, 1941 PATENT OFFICE My-present invention relates to the art of iced refrigerators and more particularly toa port- I able refrigerator.

My refrigerator is characterized byembodyin many features common tothe ordinary refrigerator, namely that it has well insulated walls, bottom, and cover. Inside the refrigerator is a food storage compartment which is surrounded on its four sides by a compartment for ice. The

ice is supported above the bottom'of the refrigerator so as to provide a collecting space for the water, producedas theice'melts, andito also insure that the ice will be raised sufliciently so as to take full advantage of thermal syphoning, and themovernentof air: due to convection. The various elements'making up my refrigerator are eombinedso as to producea portable refrigerator that" will be suitable for carrying in an automobile, or a small boat, or for use in other places where the refrigerator can only be serviced at intervals; and where no'drain can be provided for the same except at periods of servicing.

The principalobject of my invention is,therefore, .to provide an easily portable refrigerator which will provide: themaximum cooling to the foot products stored therein; together with all the necessary conveniences for providing refrigeration under abnormal conditions, such as on automobile trips, on fishing and outing trips, whether by motor car or by boat, and on those occasions when it is desirable to move refrigerated food products, drinks, or drink mixers, in places where it is not convenient to provide receptacles for ice and-also, to provide easy means for the 'collecting'of the melted ice and the like.

A further objectof 'my invention is to provide means that will insure the normal circulation of air underurgence of convection, or thermal syphoning principles,- so that the maximum of cooling efliciency can be maintained with a reduced quantity of ice.

a A further object of my invention is to provide, in an easily portable and compact refrigerator, means for separating the ice from the items bein preserved or cooled. l l

A further object of my invention is to provide easily observable indicating means to show the temperaturebf the interior of the box and to further show the heightto which the water has raisedin the bottom of therefrigerator due to the melting of ice. Further means are provided for storing suchessentials as an ice pick in a safe, convenientmanner; for the storage of a hose ofva; type. suitable. for attaching to the drain. faucet so that withoutmoving the refrigerator from its position in an automobile, the hose can be passed out of a door opening and the refrigerator drained so that the melted ice I will not flood the storage compartment.

Other and more specific objects will be apparent from the following description taken in connectiton with l the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator made after the teachings of my present .invention. i

Figure 2 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view through my refrigerator.

Figure 3 is a transverse, sectional view in eletaken through the float tube of the water-level indicating means.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which likereference characters indicate like parts, 8 designates the? bottom or foundation member of my refrigerator. This I prefer to form with an inner-sheet 10, preferably of a galvanized metal or similar untarnishable and rust-proof metal, and an outer, protective covering l2 which again may best be made of metal. Disposed between these two spaced sheets, I use a suitable insulation material. In cases where relatively thin sheet metal members [0 and I2 are used, this insulation should be of the insulation board type soias'to give rigidity to the unit. Disposed around the bottom member are the two ends l4 and 15 and the two. opposite sides as 16 and I1. These I prefer toform with the inner lining It, as used on the bottom, extending upwardly to form a continuous inside lining to the end that leakage willbe effectively guarded against. In as'rnuch as the sides and ends together with the bottom must provide thesecurity for the unit and be of suflicient strength to prevent the racking of the same, my preferred construction is to place, next to the inn-er lining 10, a sheet of insulation board as I8. Then, next to the insulation board, a layer of metal foil as 20, so as to provide an effective reflector to guard against the direct rays of the sun that may at times strike the box. Outside of the foil sheet I then prefer to use a' wooden sheetlLpreferably made of plywood of the thin three-ply veneer type. Next, outwardly from the veneer, I provide a metal sheeting 24 of substantially the same weight as the bottom protective covering 12. This construction provides adequate protection against damage incidental to the handling of the refrigerator in unusual places. It provides, then, a layer of wood that is particularly well suited to add rigidity to the box-like structure, and provides a degree of insulation. The foil reflecting surface which has proved to be of real value against radiant energy either in the form of the suns rays or of the infra red rays that are often given off from various sources. This form of construction has also the virtue of giving a wall of minimum thickness that will provide adequate insulation.

The cover of my refrigerator I prefer to form substantially after the construction employed in the bottom, namely in providing an outer metal protective member 26 and an inner metal protective member 21. Disposed between these sheets may be used any suitable type of insulation material as 28, due to the fact that the overall height of the refrigerator is not as critical as the width and length of the unit, as normally in the rear compartment of a car there is adequate vertical space. In order to provide the minimum loss from direct leakage, it is desirable to have the cover member set down inside the box-like outline as is indicated at 30 and 3|. Suitably secured on the inner surface of the cover are clips as 32 to secure in place the drainage hose 34. This hose is adapted to be fitted to the drainage faucet 35 so as to drain the refrigerator without having to remove the same from its established place of use. Also secured in the cover are two additional clips; one, 36, is adapted to engage and hold in position an icepick 31; the second clip, as 38, is adapted to shield the point of the ice-pick so that when th user reaches into the refrigerator there will be no danger of contacting the sharp point of the pick with his hand. The refrigerator cover may be secured to the body of the refrigerator as by hinges 39 and the spring latch member 40.

Spaced from the side and end walls, and from the bottom of the refrigerator is the food or liquid storage chambers. This I normally prefer to form of rust proof sheet metal, preferably as a unitary structure in order that maximum rigidity may be secured. This is preferably supported from the bottom of the refrigerator as by the support members 44 which are preferably welded, soldered, or otherwise secured to the metal member 42 and to the metal liner ll] of the bottom portion. Throughout the extent of the walls and end portions of chamber 42 there are provided a plurality of openings 46, preferably of considerable length so as to permit a free flow of air therethrough. Then, to assure that the ice block as 48 will not lie against the metal walls of chamber 42, and thus prevent circulation through openings 46, I provide a plurality of outwardly struck lugs 50 whose construction and placement will probably be clear from a study of the various views.

Formed preferably as a continuation of the bottom 52 of compartment 42 is a wire screen supporting shelf 54. This shelf extends entirely around the food storage chamber 42 and serves to center the same within the walls of the refrigerator, and at the same time provides a resting surface for ice block 48 so that the ice will be retained at a reasonable elevation in its chamber, and will permit of the drainage as the ice melts runni g down into the bottom chamber 56 which extends entirely over the bottom of the refrigerator so that its capacity in water will be sufiioient to take the entire drainage, should all the ice blocks melt before it is possible to drain the water out of the refrigerator. This chamber, aside from providing a reservoir for the melted ice water, provides an avenue for the circulation of air from one side of the box to the other.

This is of particular importance where one side of the box may be exposed to higher temperatures than the other, causing the ice in one side to melt faster than the ice in the other; thus, with this chamber, and the fact that the upper margin 58 of the food chamber is stopped considerably short of reaching the lower wall 21 of the top, there is provided ample space for the circulation of air under such conditions.

In order to be able to determine the condition of the refrigerator at all times, I have provided on the front of the unit a water-level indicator 60 and a temperature indicator, or thermometer, 62. The construction of the water-level indicator is shown in Figure 7,, and consists of a tube 64 communicating freely with the bottom of the water collecting chamber 56 with its upper portion connecting well above any normal Water level. Then, disposed within the transparent portion 66 of the tube, is a suitable float member 68, which, it is believed, will at all times indicate the level of the water. This arrangement provides a relatively trouble-free indicating means. In the thermometer compartment 62 may be provided any commercial type of thermometer. One showing of the same is illustrated in the sectional views of Figs. 3 and 6. It is, however, desirable that the heat absorbing bulb 10 be disposed above any possible water level and reasonably removed from any possible close contact with the ice block. To this end I have preferred to form a shield as 12 about the thermometer bulb or heat absorption unit, if one of the thermostatic units are used. to the end that this member may be well within the food storage chamber 42, and will indicate the true condition of that chamberrather than being unduly influenced by close proximity to ice or the melted ice water.

The foregoing description and the accompanying drawings are believed to clearly disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention, but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative, and that such changes in the invention may be made as are fairly within the scope and spirit of the following claims:

I claim:

1. In an ice-refrigerator, the combination with an ice-box and its hinged cover, of an open top interior casing forming a central elevated provision-compartment, and supporting legs for said casing whereby a water-collecting tank is provided in the bottom of the box, said casing having vent openings in its side walls which latter walls are spaced from the surrounding walls to form ice spaces, a perforated and elevated bottom wall for said ice-spaces supported between the casing and the box-walls, and spacing means on the exterior of the casing to prevent close contact of ice with the exterior faces of the casing walls.

2. In an ice-refrigerator, the combination with an ice box and its hinged cover, of a metal open-top interior casing having vent slots in its walls, said casing being spaced within the box to form ice-spaces, spacing lugs struck from the walls of the casing and projecting exterior of the walls, supporting legs for the casing whereby a water-collecting tank is provided in the bottom of the box, and a perforated and elevated 5 bottom wall for said ice spaces supported between the casing and the surrounding walls of the ice box.

3. In an ice-refrigerator, the combination with an ice-box and and its hinged cover, said box comprising an outer shell and an inner spaced lining for each of its side and end walls, an intermediate partition of heat reflecting material in each of said walls, an insulation board at one side of the partition and an insulating wall of plywood at the other side of each partition,

an interior casing forming a provision compartment and supporting legs therefor in the box, said casing being spaced within the box walls to form ice spaces, and an elevated and perforated bottom for said spaces mounted between the 10 casing and the box walls.

MARY C. PETERSON. 

